[Ansteorra] Social Status

[James Crouchet]

Diane Rudin wrote:
> That depends on when and where you are.  Not all countries practiced
> primogeniture (giving everything to the firstborn, the rest are out
> of luck).  For example and *in general*, England practiced
> primogeniture and France did not.  The second son of the second son
> of a Baron in England learned a trade (although he wouldn't end up as
> a peasant; he'd still be gentry).  The second son of the second son
> of a Baron in France was still a nobleman and a leech on society.  :)
>   
Under French feudalism all those extra sons of sons were necessary to
fill out the ranks of the military so nobility who went into other
professions were not doing their primary duties. The French did not much
trust commoners with weapons, especially powerful weapons like bows and
swords. These attitudes persisted long after feudalism had effectively
ended and most of the nobility ceased to be interested in actual
soldering. For instance, learning a trade or "engaging in gross
commerce" was grounds for removal from the nobility. Soldiering and
being in the church did not violate that, nor apparently did having
"interests" in certain financial activities.

If you think about it you can see how these attitudes affected many
aspects of French history. For instance, their reluctance to trust
commoners with powerful weapons had a significant effect on battles like
Crécy and Agincourt.

France also seemed to be more flexible about who inherited, stood as
regent or held power until a more suitable heir could be found. I
imagine that was affected by the fact that "France" was composed of
several different geo-political entities.

Christian Doré